WALTHAM, Mass., March 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Alere Inc. (NYSE: ALR) is pleased to announce the launch today of a new campaign, Test Target Treat, at the 9th Annual International Symposium on Antimicrobial Agents and Resistance. The campaign is designed to combat antimicrobial resistance by educating healthcare professionals on the importance of using rapid diagnostics to make more targeted treatment decisions and reduce the inappropriate use of antibiotics.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when microorganisms mutate or acquire resistance genes that enable them to withstand previously effective antimicrobial treatments. It is generally a consequence of the misuse of antibiotics, a rapidly growing global public health concern. In fact, in its 2013 Global Risks Report, the World Economic Forum identified antimicrobial resistance as the greatest threat to human health today and called for incentives to prevent the over-prescription of antibiotics.

"Until now, new antibiotics have been developed to replace older, increasingly ineffective ones. However, human innovation may no longer be outpacing bacterial mutation," stated the report. "[We must find] new ways to stimulate the development of new antibiotics as well as align incentives to prevent their overuse."

The Test Target Treat campaign is intended to reinforce the fact that antibiotics are over-prescribed in 50% of all cases and that treating viral infections with antimicrobial therapies is counterproductive to achieving broad global health. Alere offers a best-in-class rapid diagnostic, the Alere AfinionTM CRP Test, which enables healthcare practitioners to distinguish between respiratory tract infections that require treatment and those that are self-limiting. The company also provides several other diagnostic tools that can help clinicians identify pathogens at the point of care and define an appropriate treatment strategy earlier. These include solutions for Strep A, RSV, Influenza, S. pneumoniae, MRSA and C. difficile. By supplying healthcare providers with a comprehensive set of diagnostic information, Alere hopes to initiate a shift in treatment trends, moving away from the broad over-prescription of antibiotics, which spawned the growing prevalence of serious healthcare-associated infections like MRSA, towards more targeted therapy.

To learn more about Alere's Test Target TreatTM campaign and industry-leading diagnostics, please visit booths #23 and 24. More information is also available on the campaign's website: www.TestTargetTreat.com.

About AlereBy developing new capabilities in near-patient diagnosis, monitoring and health information technology, Alere enables individuals to take charge of improving their health and quality of life at home. Alere's global leading products and services, as well as its new product development efforts, focus on cardiology, infectious disease, toxicology and diabetes. Alere is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. For more information regarding Alere, please visit www.alere.com.